A Study Of The Impact Of Social Participation On The Health Of Older Adults

Population aging is an irreversible basic national condition in the 21 st century.The United Nations World Population Outlook data predicts that the proportion of the elderly population in China will exceed 20% by 2025.China has entered a moderately aging society,and the health problems of the elderly population have become more and more prominent.In the theoretical framework of active ageing proposed by the World Health Organization in response to population aging,"health,participation and security" are the pillars.The pressure brought by aging on economic and social development has been transformed into an inexhaustible driving force for sustainable social development.It has become a general consensus in the international community to actively respond to population aging by encouraging and guiding the elderly to participate in society.Therefore,it is of great significance to further study the specific impact of social participation on the health of the elderly from the perspective of active aging,which can provide suggestions for the improvement of relevant policies and services,help the elderly to integrate more actively into society,and promote healthy aging and active aging.process.This study combines data from the 2018 “China Long-Term Health Impact Factors of the Elderly”(CLHLS)project and semi-structured interview data to explore the impact of social participation on the health of the elderly.First,by sorting out the relevant research results of domestic and foreign scholars,under the guidance of activity theory,continuity theory and social exchange theory,the concept of health and social participation of the elderly is defined.It is a good state of fully enjoying physical and mental health and well-being;the social participation of the elderly includes various economic,political,cultural and social activities that are beneficial to themselves and the society.On this basis,the main social participation activities of the elderly are divided into five types: leisure and entertainment,family communication,physical exercise,economic participation and network participation,and the health of the elderly is divided into three types: physical health,mental health and self-assessment health dimension as a measure of social participation and health in older adults.Secondly,descriptive analysis of the basic demographic characteristics,health and social participation of the elderly is carried out to show the current status of the health and social participation of the elderly.Thirdly,using the OLS regression model and the binary logistic regression model to conduct quantitative analysis to explore the differential impact of different types of social participation on the health of the elderly,and to further verify the relevant conclusions combined with qualitative analysis.The sample test was used to enhance the robustness of the research results and to compare the group differences in the health of the elderly with different characteristics.In addition,the propensity score matching method was used to eliminate the estimation bias caused by sample self-selection.Finally,summarize and prospect the research content of the text,and make suggestions for improving the social participation of the elderly and improving the health status of the elderly.The main findings of the study were that social participation had a significant positive impact on the health of the elderly.Compared with the elderly who did not participate in social activities,the elderly who participated in social activities had better physical health,mental health and self-rated health status,and,there are significant differences in the degree of impact of participation in different types of social activities on the health of the elderly.Compared with participation in leisure and entertainment activities,participating in family communication activities and physical exercise activities can improve the physical health and self-assessment health of the elderly to a higher degree.Health effects are higher.It was also found through interviews that the elderly engaged in labor with a certain economic income,and carrying out online participation activities had a positive impact on the health of the elderly,especially their mental health.In addition,social participation will have different effects on the physical and mental health of the elderly in different sub-samples.The improvement of social participation on the physical and mental health of the urban elderly is significantly higher than that of the rural elderly.The urban and rural differences in leisure and entertainment activities most notably.Participating in leisure and recreational activities improves the physical health of elderly people living in nursing homes nearly three times as much as those living alone or with family members.Participating in physical activities also improves the physical and mental health of elderly people living in nursing homes to a higher degree,and family communicative activities mainly have a more significant impact on the health of the elderly living with their families.Therefore,according to the research results,to put forward relevant policy recommendations to improve the social participation and health level of the elderly in my country,it is necessary to participate in the government,communities,families,individuals,etc.,and make efforts from various parties to improve the construction of elderly service facilities and security systems,and carry out normalization.Social participation activities,smooth the channels for the elderly,create a good social participation environment for the elderly,vigorously develop urban and rural elderly education,and encourage the elderly to actively participate in various social activities,so that the elderly can closely connect with the society through social participation,and follow the pace of the times,realize self-worth,and improve their own health.